Shooting From The Heart
by QuickSilverFox3
Summary: Ginny has an important question to ask, but who can she turned to? It had to be Luna. (Written for International Wizarding School Championship Summer Camp) [pre Ginny x Luna]


**Archery- May your arrow fly straight, and your aim be true. **

**Write about getting straight to the point on matters of the heart. (100 points)**

Ginny waited patiently, a small huddled lump under the heavy duvet with only the shock of her red hair visible. Her mother paused at the door, the mugs softly clinking from where they were being held, before the door clicked softly shut behind her. It felt like her body was thrumming with restless energy, toes curling with the urge to bolt from the bed, legs twitching causing the blanket to rustle. She froze at the pause of her mother's tread on the stairs but began to breathe once again as her mother continued down the stairs. The house was blissfully quiet, the hush of a full house settling down for the night.

Ron was likely asleep half in the bed and half out of it, face covered by the most recent edition of the Chudley Cannons magazine. Fred and George were in the same position as herself, her mother's voice carrying easily down the stairs earlier as she yelled at them for experimenting. She could faintly hear the hissing noises of their potion experiments through the walls. Percy was still enjoying the privacy after his time in the Hogwarts dormitory, barely emerging with claims of a mountain of summer homework. Charlie was hanging half out his window, conjuring bubbles that flashed different colours in the night-time air as he scrawled in his journal. He had waved and winked at her earlier when she was setting up for her plan, acting as an impromptu lookout which was greatly appreciated. Bill was out, rope hanging from his window like a flag to aim to avoid their mother, trying to squeeze out every inch of freedom he could. The arguments had been almost legendary, one unstoppable force clashing with an immoveable object, and yet Bill had still come out on top, keeping the long hair and the earring.

It felt like a lifetime had passed, punctuated by the slow steps of her mother carefully making her way down the messy stairs, the faint sound of items piling up in front of her door as they were sent up the stairs. Ginny didn't know why she bothered, their house was an amalgamation of lost items and things that used to belong to one child (most likely Bill) before they were passed down and up and sideways so many times, they didn't belong to any one Weasley. But finally, finally, the sitting room door swung shut behind her and the Weasley children were as alone as they ever were.

Ginny threw the duvet off, shivering slightly in the cold night air and wriggled out of the bed, wincing as her feet touched the cold wooden floor. She paused; head tilted to one side as she listened. The ghoul rattled his chains in the attic; Fred and George muffled a yelp as green smoke began to seep through the small cracks in the wall she had missed during her last round of plugging them with wadded up parchment; Charlie was almost silent, the popping of bubbles mixing with the crackling of small fires. Safe. She tiptoed to the window and pushed it open, grunting with the effort as the wood stuck. But it came free with a small shower of paint chips, Ginny shaking her head like a dog, spitting out the few that landed in her mouth.

It was a small device by design, scavenged from Luna's basement during a session of exploration what felt like a lifetime ago. Ginny's nose twitched reflexively at the memory of the plumes of dust that filled the air, everything muffled and silent before it was broken by the pair falling into fits of sneezing.

"It'll be the Erithmice," Luna had gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks, further smudging the paint on her cheeks, the careful streaks Ginny had adorned her with merging together.

Ginny had nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue before offering her spare to Luna who gracefully accepted. Ginny looked at Luna, Luna looked at Ginny and the pair dissolved into peals of laughter, laughing until their ribs aches and they were gasping for air.

It had fallen out of use over the last few weeks, the delight of having all her brothers home overwhelming after the past few months of silence, free to roam the hills with Luna at her side. But, like clockwork, the constant noise began to grate on her nerves and her mind went wandering once more to her best friend, missing her fiercely.

Ginny perched on the windowsill, one foot firmly pressed against the chest of drawers, wood carving already beginning to imprint into her skin; the other dangling free into open air. There was a question lodged in her throat, beating against its confines like a trapped bird, taking every opportunity to escape. She had nearly blurted the question out in a lull at dinner, self-preservation rearing its head at the last possible second. Even so, her face flushed so red that she was subject to sidelong glances and worried whispers for the rest of the night.

"Hey, Luna?"

Ginny whispered the words into the speaking tube of the contraption, golden thread uncoiling from the other end and firing off into the distance. It felt like marionette strings were coiled around her fingers, the thread dancing with every slight twitch across the countryside until- until- yes!

Ginny clapped her hands together in delight and then froze, ears pricked up, holding her breath. Had her mother heard her? Nothing. Ginny cautiously relaxed, breath coming sharp and swift as her heart hammered away in her chest. The earpiece came away easily, fitting into the palm of her hand as she raised it to her ear, head quirking to one side as she listened.

Whispers, fragments of conversations long gone, her own voice echoing throughout the years.

"Hi Ginny. Are you okay?"

Luna's voice was a blessed relief, soft and dreamy, rounded sounds compared to her own cut off hisses.

"I'd like to ask you a question?"

Ginny screwed up her face, blush flooding her cheeks reflexively as she waited, twisting the cord around one finger, feet flexing in mid-air causing her to sway slightly. Waiting was exquisite torment, the Burrow around her fading away until nothing existed but the whispers on the other end of the line, the promise of contact with Luna.

"Of course, Ginny, what is it?"

"Ermm."

After so long trapped, she couldn't get the words out, stuck in her throat, constricting her lungs. Ringing in her ears, hearing whispers no longer.

"How do you know if you like, like-like someone?" Ginny finally blurted out, face feeling so hot she thought she was about to explode, fancying she could feel the steam fluttering from her ears.

There was silence for a long moment, clouds skittering across the sky, wind rustling the grass in the garden. Charlie has slipped back inside his own room, window latching with a quiet click after her question. She would ask him tomorrow, Ginny thought. His brief explanation of demi-romantism had struck something of a chord with her when he had slipped into her room late one night, eyes red rimmed and bursting with his own secret. Out of all her brothers, she thought maybe he would understand her current torment.

"I always thought it was if you want them to be happy, you enjoy spending time with them, and you can't imagine them not in your life," Luna replied, Ginny so grateful to hear her voice that she almost sobbed.

"Thank you, Luna. I can't ask anyone else because what I hear, what I see is just so different from what I feel it hurts."

"There's nothing wrong with you Ginny," Luna's reply was swift and forceful, "and there's nothing wrong with me. We're just different, a matched set."

Ginny blinked in surprise, her careful plan suddenly knocked sideways, pieces shifting and reforming into something new and unknown, thrilling and terrifying all at once.

"I think I like-like you Luna. Do you want to maybe go get a milkshake tomorrow?"

And there it was, her truth out in the universe, a little fragile thing, so inherently breakable to subject to the cold winds of fate.

"I feel that way about you too Ginny, so, yes I'd like that if it's okay?"

Ginny did sob then, tears of delight and acceptance running down her cheeks.

"Yeah I'll come and get you at 9 tomorrow?"

"I'll see you then. Goodnight Ginny."

Ginny slipped back into bed, cold night breeze ruffling her curtains and promising a colder night, but she didn't care. Hope and love were warm in her chest and she swiftly fell asleep, device cradled in her arms.


End file.
